The Northern Piedmont of North Carolina is dotted with old tobacco barns. Standing tall, but often leaning, these rotting log buildings once symbolized the immense agricultural power of this area. For folks who grew up nearby, the barns are nostalgic pieces of history. For new AAWS Member and recent North Carolina transplant, Holly Chandler, these ramshackle buildings represent something different: opportunity, transformation, repurposing, and the chance to create sustainable art for more generations to enjoy.

“Each piece of reclaimed wood served an entirely different purpose at one point,” Holly said. “Repurposing it into modern art and giving it a new story is a lot of fun.”

One of the only woodworkers in the Associated Artists of Winston-Salem, Inc. (AAWS), Holly, owner of Ivy and Oak Designs, joined the organization this past Autumn. When I met her on a sweltering, steaming, hot Summer’s day this past June, she had recently acquired her personal treasure trove: stacks and stacks of lath—wood slabs once hidden behind plaster walls—rescued from an old barn her neighbors are renovating down the street.

“I like the use of reclaimed wood for two reasons: each piece has a story behind it, and it saves usable material from ending up in a landfill,” Holly said. “Even so, older wood is not usually of better quality; it tends to need the most preparation, but that makes it all the more satisfying to see it transform into something new.”

To me, the pale, slim pieces of lath were daunting. Crooked, rusted nails shot out at odd angles, and even without any experience in woodworking, I knew preparing this wood would be painstaking work. After all, Holly’s “modern geometric” mosaics are a far cry from the slabs of off-white, splintered wood stacked before me. 

To prepare the lath for art, Holly will remove the nails, clean each piece, cut the wood down to size, and sand them for preparation. In addition to lath, she uses a variety of woods including ash, cedar, cherry, maple, redwood, oak, and more. She especially appreciates when the wood has dark spots from knots or spalting since it adds natural texture and detail to her mosaics.

“My favorite is walnut,” Holly said. “I love the dark, rich color. It’s just a naturally beautiful wood. Spalted maple is a close second.”

In addition to wood from old barns, Holly sources materials from old furniture and other affordable, sustainable means. Often, she simply uses “what’s available.”

“I try to find boards that don’t need a whole lot of work beforehand,” Holly said. “In the past, if I had a board that needed work, I would need to find someone who could plane it down to smooth out the surface, but I try to avoid that extra step if possible.”

Once the wood is sourced and prepared, Holly begins her puzzle. Usually, she starts in an X-shape and works outward. There is not much planning involved, she told me—maybe a general idea of stains, shape, and direction. The final composition, however, evolves organically, much like the patterns on the wood itself. She’ll ask herself: What can fill out this space to make a square for a frame? How can I piece these smaller planks together for layers of dimension? If I cut the long strip into shorter pieces, can I use different stains and techniques for a detailed effect? The pieces reveal the overall direction as one decision leads to the next. 

"The first mosaic I ever made was rough,” she emphasized. She began woodworking during the pandemic, around 3 years ago. “The cuts and measurements were wrong, the frame popped off, it was just all around bad. Not proud of that one. But, it taught me patience and that taking extra time to pay attention to the details makes a difference in the end. ” 

Her woodworking journey is a little ironic, she told me. Though woodworking is something of a “family lineage,” having been passed down paternally, it is not something anyone thought would continue. In fact, her father owns a tech company which was more likely to be inherited in the family, Holly said, but she admits it's not something that resonates with her.

“He has passed on the joy to create more than anything,” Holly said of her father’s creativity. His claim to fame is epoxy tables. “He creates this excitement around learning something new, and when that excitement translates to creating something I’m proud of… that sticks with me.”

Though her Dad did woodworking through the years, Holly never worked with wood until she started flipping old furniture from Facebook Marketplace. 

“The techniques and tools transfer from furniture flipping to the mosaics, so it felt pretty natural to make the transition.” 

As she renovated furniture, she gained more of an understanding of how different types of wood can be manipulated, as well as the tools, paints, and stains. With that growing knowledge, she gained the confidence to venture into more artistic pursuits, she said. At first, her father helped by getting her more accommodated to the tools. 

“Each mosaic starts on the table saw,” Holly said. “I use the saw to cut out strips of wood, then use the miter saw to cut those strips down into smaller individual pieces that make up a mosaic. At the end, everything gets glued to a plywood backer with wood glue, and I will also use a pin nailer on larger pieces to make sure it’s all secure.”

I find Holly’s style represents an intriguing blend of her life experiences. Growing up in Indiana farmland near Amish country, her woodworking carries a subtle echo of days gone by. Dogs and barn cats were a staple of her childhood, along with fond memories of two horses—Amber, the older and gentle one, and Annie, the young and stubborn. She also lived in Phoenix, Arizona, for a time, she noted. Some pieces, too, look somehow Aztec-inspired—no doubt influenced by her time in the sunny, hot, and red landscape. I wondered what inspiration she’d get from North Carolina. Already, her starburst patterns remind me of Moravian Stars. 

“A lot of people say that my pieces look like the Barn Quilts that are popular around here, too,” she said with a nod. “I just stick to the nature vibe and opt for earthen tones most of the time. At shows, people often say they’ve never seen anything like mine.” 

It was clear to me that Holly is still learning, growing, and experimenting in exciting ways. In one recent piece, she’s incorporated floral wallpaper. In another, she used wood stains like acrylic paint, emulating a gradient effect. Nearby, a stack of older mosaics sat, recognizable as early works of hers. The patterns were less intricate and dimensional than some of her recent works. Some of the wood, too, was chipped around the edges. There's been a noted growth in confidence, it seemed.

“I used cheaper wood back then,” Holly said. “I have also gotten better at framing and attention to detail. When I first started, I would make my frames the quickest and easiest way I knew how. It worked fine, but I knew I could do better. The same goes for taking the time to pay attention to the details. A lot of times, it’s the small details that make a piece, and taking the time to focus has helped to improve my work.”

Those older pieces will hit the chopping block and be reformed again, Holly said, just like the wood from the old barn. There’s something innate about repurposing natural things, too, isn’t there? The Circle of Life, as they say.

Since moving to Winston-Salem and joining AAWS, Holly hasn’t exhibited yet. Instead, she spends most of her time traveling to local trade and craft shows. 

“The starbursts with red, green, and black stains always sell out,” she said. 

While we talked about the reception of her work at trade shows, a thought popped into my head: “do people often make comments about you being a woman woodworker?” A flash of heightened interest crossed her eyes—it seemed this was something she was passionate about.

“Whenever my husband is with me during the shows, everyone always assumes he’s the one who creates the pieces,” she said. “They’ll go up to him and ask him the questions. Sometimes, even if I’m there by myself, people will ask who made them. It used to bother me a lot more, but I’ve learned to just roll with it. I take a lot of pride in adding a more ‘feminine touch’ to a craft that is typically seen as masculine.”

Beyond selling her works at shows, one of her biggest accomplishments is being chosen as the Shallow Ford Foundation’s Board Choice in the foundation's Juried Community Art Show. 

“Right now, I’m just focused on getting my name out there,” she said. “Eventually, I would like this to be my full-time job.” 

In the future, she wants to experiment with textures and different materials, aiming to create a greater “pop” in her work. Much of her work features woodcut at a 45-degree angle, but one of her favorite pieces was cut at 60 degrees. To experiment with angles and fluidity more, she recently bought a scroll saw, which will allow her to make more precise, rounded, and experimental cuts. 

As she continues gaining experience in her new home of Winston-Salem, she hopes to exhibit her work more in local shows and galleries. Holly is thinking of entering some AAWS shows this Autumn, including Artist Spotlight 2025, one of our most popular annual juried shows.  

“I always say that I love working with wood because it’s a medium that truly speaks for itself, it’s just a naturally beautiful canvas,” she said. 

________________________________________

Want more from Holly? Go by and visit her at these upcoming trade and craft shows:

• August 23-24: Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival - Cary, NC

• October 11-12: Waynesboro Fall Foliage Art Festival - Waynesboro, VA

• November 21-23: Piedmont Craftsman - Winston Salem, 

• November 28-30: Craftsmen’s Christmas Classic - Greensboro, NC

Or follow her on Instagram, Facebook, or her website at Ivy and Oak Designs.